Best Boyfriend(?)
by MySilentVoice
Summary: Amidst the usual chaos, an interesting competition surfaces. A contest to find the best boyfriend on campus. Having forced their 'man' into it, Mikan, Hotaru and Sumire kick back to watch the test that will surely put their love on the line.
1. Chapter 1

**Best Boyfriend(?)**

**Chapter 1**

_By MySilentVoice_

...

The day started out normally enough. Natsume finally realized that walking Mikan to class was something a boyfriend was expected to do. Ruka had got up early again to bring Hotaru breakfast in bed, since she was up late the night before working on her latest invention. It was Koko and Sumire's eighth monthsary and the latter was flouncing around, showing off the locket he had given her. Inside was a picture of himself, donning a fake mustache and glasses. The inside was embarrassing yet somehow endearing, but of course, Sumire would never admit that. Instead, she preferred to showcase the outside to whoever was polite enough not to roll their eyes.

Indeed, it was a fairly normal day at Alice Academy, or so they thought.

Once everyone had safely installed themselves in the classroom, waiting for the first period to begin, Kitsuneme rushed into the room, excitedly waving a sheet of paper in the air.

"Guess what guys?" he cried in a singsong voice as the gang gathered around him. Koko stared at his friend for a moment, then broke into a grin.

"No way, man!"

"Yes, way!"

"And is the prize really...?"

"You read my mind, bud! Literally!" The two boys fist-bumped each other, leaving everyone to wonder what the hell they were talking about.

Reading their minds, Koko snatched the paper from Kitsuneme and lay it flat on the table. It was a flyer. The group huddled closer.

_ BBF of the Year Contest_

_Ladies! Ever wanted to know if your man is really worth your time? Enter him in this contest, where your boyfriend will be put through a series of trials, and prove to you that he's man enough to be your man!_

_Alice Academy's first ever competition to search for the school's bestest boyfriend will be held over a course of three days!_

_What are you waiting for? Put your man to the test, and if he's man enough, he'll be granted the title:_

_ Bestest Boyfriend Of The Year!_

_Or in other words,_

_The Most Whipped Ass Of The Year!_

_The grand prize is a total of ten thousand rabbits, and a five day trip to Hawaii! Sign up now!_

There was a stunned silence, the kind that usually follows a news as ludicrous as this one. Hotaru was the first to react. Eyes shining and mind spinning with the thought of the grand prize, she looped an arm through Ruka's and smiled.

The evil, scheming, devious smile.

"Ruka, you know what to do."

Unfortunately, Ruka knew exactly what to do. And he cursed the gods for bringing this insane competition into existence. On the outside however, he smiled charmingly at his girlfriend and nodded. "Of course. As you wish."

Sumire stared at him incredulously. "I think I've found the most whipped ass of the year. And he's right over there."

"Back off, Shouda. Find your own whipped ass."

Sumire sniffed disdainfully. "Oh don't worry, I've already found mine." She nudged Koko. "You're entering by the way. Hawaii has some beautiful resorts."

"Sounds fun. Sure, I'll do it." said Koko cheerfully.

"It wasn't an option, honey."

"Oh."

As Mikan watched her two good friends so easily take command over their boyfriends' destinies, she decided she needed to assert her authority as well. If they could do it, why couldn't she? "Natsume, enter the contest."

"Hell no."

Ah, that's why. She nearly forgot she was dating a world class jerk with a heart buried so deep you'd need a lamp and jackhammer to find it. But Mikan still had one more trick up her sleeve. She hadn't managed to win the heart of the coldest boy in the universe for no reason. Calmly, she smoothed her features into a soft expression, tinged with just the right amount of sadness and longing. The others stifled their laughter as they watched Natsume's face harden.

Mikan stared up at him from beneath her dark lashes. "But Natsume, I've always wanted to go to the beach with you."

Now Natsume prided himself for not being easily swayed. He had always thought it rather disgusting that his best friend so easily submitted to his lady love, and he swore he'd never be the same. So far he'd been able to avoid getting baited into submission by his own girlfriend, partly because Mikan never felt the need to assert her authority. But today was probably not his day, because before he even realized it himself, the words were already tumbling out of his mouth. "Where's the sign up sheet?"

The gang burst into unrestrained laughter as the unmovable Natsume Hyuuga finally caved. Kitsuneme pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper from his back pocket, tears of mirth escaping his eyes. "Oh gosh Mikan, your name should go down in history for this," he gasped. "You made Natsume join some insane competition cooked up by Narumi-sensei!"

A vein throbbed in Natsume's forehead. "That freakshow arranged this contest? Why am I not surprised."

"He was handing out the flyers when I passed by. It seemed interesting so I took one. He also said he's gonna host it."

"I've got to thank him for this awesome idea!" Mikan squealed. "I can't believe we get to go to Hawaii!"

"Not so fast Sakura," Sumire said haughtily. "You may have tamed the beast, but your boyfriend still has a long way to go before he even stands a chance at winning." She shot Natsume an apologetic look. "He's got the looks, that's for sure. But dear, may I say that he's a terrible boyfriend?"

"I agree with Shouda." Hotaru piped in. "The guy has no finesse, no class, and not to mention a severe lack of gentlemanliness."

Mikan could only stare at her friends agape as they gave her a rather depressing summary of her boyfriend's lack of positive traits. Natsume didn't seem the least bit affected by the insult however, and sat back in his chair, having filled out the signup sheet. Hotaru handed the form to Ruka. She smirked.

"Well, it doesn't matter if he enters I guess. Ruka will beat him hands down."

"Nuh-uh. Koko will."

"He's a monkey."

"At least his EQ is way above Natsume's!" Sumire gave Natsume a wink. "No offense dear, but you know I've got your back if it's a question of looks."

"Thanks." Natsume said dryly.

And so that day, males all across the academy found themselves in a competion to prove their worth, whether they liked it or not. As Narumi-sensei watched the sign-up sheets fill his pigeon hole, he laughed in glee at the thought of what he would be putting those poor boys through.

It is a wonder he hasn't been fired.

...

It was as if the whole school had turned up for the event. They had all gathered at the school field and students had almost filled up all the bleachers despite the early hour. In the center of it all stood a makeshift stage, and large screens floated in mid-air, positioned so the audience could see them. Behind the stage, Natsume and the others were forced to stand in a crowd of males, some looking weary despite the early hour, while others stood with an air of grim determination. Ruka easily fitted into the second category, and the boys didn't hesitate to tease him about it.

"A little nervous there aren't you, Ruka-pyon?" said Koko in a singsong voice.

"Buzz off." was the boy's curt reply. Natsume patted his shoulder. "Easy there, tiger. It's not like your fate rests on this. Then again, with Imai, it probably does."

"Fate..." Ruka moaned. "My fate hangs in the balance alright. I heard that Hotaru's brother is one of the judges."

The boys gave him pitying looks. Even though Ruka had been dating Hotaru for nearly a year now, Subaru Imai had never really quite liked him. In fact, whenever the two crossed paths, Ruka would give him a polite greeting only to be ignored by the senior. And sometimes, when he was together with Hotaru, he'd feel a cold chill run down his spine. He'd then look around nervously, and more often than not, a concealed Subaru Imai would be spotted, not too far away. Thus, Ruka had understandably developed a phobia for elder brothers, specifically Hotaru Imai's.

Koko lay a hand on Ruka's shoulder. "Hats off to you, mate. If you're lucky, you'll keep the girl and impress the brother."

"Best of luck. Might not wanna mess this up." Natsume added.

"Gee, thanks," Ruka sulked. "I am moved by your encouraging displays of support."

On stage, Narumi-sensei had captured the attention of his audience with his floppy pink hat and frilly green coat, and was now speaking into the mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first BBF of the Year Contest in history!

"Before we proceed with the first round, let us welcome out judges! First up from the elementary division, we have Youichi Hijiri!"

"Yo-chan?" said Ruka incredulously. "What good is an eight year old in a competition to judge boyfriends?"

"Next up, we have Yuu Tobita from the middle school division!"

"The guy hasn't been able to score a date in all his life, exactly how did he get picked?" Koko mused.

"And finally, after lots of begging and pleading on my part, please welcome Subaru Imai from the high school division!"

"This is one messed up panel of judges," Natsume sighed. He watched as Ruka's resolve seemed to melt away as Subaru Imai took the stage. "Suck it up, Ruka. Today you show the guy you're worthy of her."

Ruka pulled himself up to his full height. He inhaled deeply. "Right."

"And now for our elimination round," Narumi announced, gesturing wildly. "All contestants will have to go to central town, pick up a gift they think their girlfriend might like, and return here."

Ruka breathed a sigh of relief. "That sounds easy-"

"Within fifteen minutes! You can't take the bus, however."

"Is he nuts?"

"Even by bus it takes nearly ten minutes to reach Central town," Koko muttered. "I'm guessing they're trying to cut out more than half the competition with this round."

"Did you just say something smart?"

"Oh no, I was just reading Natsume's mind."

"But don't be too disheartened, boys," Narumi grinned. "You're allowed to use your alices."

"That's insane," Ruka groaned. "The teleporters will finish in no time."

Narumi was chuckling darkly into the mic. "Now don't get too excited, most of you won't make it pass the trap."

"What trap-"

Suddenly, the ground from beneath them caved in and a large, monstrous vine with prickly thorns surfaced. It was quickly followed by several more. The plant snatched up several boys, while others fell into the hole it created. Natsume quickly leapt out of the way, and with a flick of his hand, the vines were soon ablaze with fire. It didn't seem to hinder it however, and the vine shot towards him with renewed strength.

"This is a plant specially created by Misaki-sensei for this event," Narumi continued cheerfully. "It's extremely tough against alices, and it'll take more than your typical strength or fire alice to get away. By the way, the competition has begun!"

Natsume cursed loudly as the vine took a swipe at his head. He wasn't the black cat for no reason however, and he rolled safely out of the way, quickly jumping into a tree way out of the plant's reach. From his perch, he took in the scene. The plant seemed to be growing bigger with every second, and it easily snatched up the contestants and held them, screaming, aloft. Some tried to fight the thing but the plant was strong, not to mention fast, and it was a losing battle on the students' part.

In the bleachers, the audience was going wild, cheering and screaming. Within five seconds, Narumi had turned the happy event into a full scale attack on the contestants. Was this even legal?

"Natsume!"

He turned just in time to see Ruka fly past his tree, on the back of a large eagle. "I'll be going ahead. You better get a move on!"

Natsume had nearly forgotten the objective of the game. In the sky, clouds were shifting to form numbers. The countdown to the end of fifteen minutes. It was currently at thirteen.

With a loud, curse mainly directed at Narumi, Natsume leaped into the neighboring tree with ease, and in this way, made his way through the dense forest. There was a shortcut to central town through the trees, and he was confident he could win as long as he relied on his training.

...

Ruka was probably one of the few boyfriends who had trouble getting their girlfriend to smile. Not only was she hard to please, but she seemed to have absolutely everything she could have ever wanted at her fingertips. Food? Her three star status granted her all the delicious meals she wanted. Money? Her status and marketing schemes took care of that too. That left Ruka to wonder, what could a girl like Hotaru possibly want, but did not have?

It was this question that bugged him all the way to central town, and even as the eagle dropped him off, he still had no idea what he should get for Hotaru. He knew which shops she often visited, but he also knew she had bought almost everything she wanted from those stores.

The clouds above told him five minutes had passed, and he knew he was running out of time. Frustrated, he kicked a nearby photo booth, only to jump back, startled as the trees behind it rustled to life.

Natsume leapt out from the trees, looking no worse for wear. He gave Ruka a quick nod and slipped into the photo booth. Ruka blinked, surprised. What on earth was Natsume Hyuuga doing in a photo booth?

A minute later, his friend walked out, a roll of film in his hand. After a cursory scan, it was quickly shoved into his pocket. Natsume raised an eyebrow at him. "Trouble?"

"You know," Ruka sighed. "Hotaru...hard to please."

"You're thinking too hard. It doesn't have to be special."

"What-"

"It just has to be something only she can receive from you." With a small shrug, Natsume turned on his heel and disappeared into the trees once more.

_Only she can..._

Ruka chuckled softly. Then he burst into a loud and hearty laugh. Who ever could have thought Natsume would be the one giving him relationship advice?

He straightened up and smiled. He knew just what to get her now. Bringing his fingers to his lips, he whistled loud and clear. A large shadow passed overhead and he jumped, hands grasping the metal ring his eagle clasped in its claws.

"To the academy." he said, and with a resounding cry, the bird took to the skies.

...

"I wonder what Natsume's going to bring me," Mikan mused. "He's never given me anything."

"Which is why he's never going to win." Sumire replied, still peering through her binoculars. "I can't see Koko anywhere in that crazy plant. I bet he managed to get away."

Mikan ignored the jibe at her boyfriend and nudged her best friend. "See Ruka anywhere?"

Hotaru had in her hands a device with a screen and some knobs. She was scowling fiercely. "I can't find him anywhere. My lady bug tracker shows he's not in central town."

"Maybe he's in there?" Hotaru followed Mikan's gaze towards the evil plant that was still busy rounding up the contestants. By now, most of them had given up and were only making a few half-hearted attempts with their alices to attack the plant. It showed no signs of letting up however, and numerous girls in the audience were screaming in dismay as they watched their boyfriends get throttled by a plant. It really was a test of your man's worth.

"I'd say by the time this is over, a lot of guys will find themselves single," Sumire said, amused. "This really is a display of the male species' patheticness."

"I feel sorry for them...I bet they didn't even see it coming."

"Don't be so soft Mikan. It's because you're like that that Natsume's the one wearing the pants in your relationship."

"Easy for you to say," Mikan said, exasperated. "You have Koko! He has a permanent smile while Natsume has a permanent scowl!"

"Which is why he'll lose to Koko." Sumire lowered her binoculars, a satisfied look in her face. "He's not in that mess, thank goodness."

Narumi was twirling his way into the stage once more. "We're down to the last two minutes! So far, nobody has arrived. Could we come out of this with no winner?"

Mikan stared up at the floating screens, but she couldn't find Natsume on any one of them.

_Where is he..._

"Oh, would you look at that!" Narumi cried, arm stretched out towards the side of the stage. "It's Natsume Hyuuga! Our first survivor!"

Leaping to her feet at once, Mikan felt a surge of pride in her chest as Natsume mounted the stage. Narumi grabbed his hand and held it high above their heads, only to get cuffed on the ear by the boy. Mikan whooped and cheered. "Good going, Natsume!"

Sumire was inspecting her nails. "Of course, since this is mainly a test of physical fitness, Natsume would naturally come in first."

"Aw don't be so sour Permy," Mikan laughed. "Isn't my boyfriend amazing?"

As the cheers subsided, two figures tumbled onto the stage and were quickly intercepted by Narumi. "Our next two survivors...Tsubasa Andou and Akira Tonouchi!"

The two boys looked a little harried, as if they had just come out of a fight, but their smiles were still intact. They waved to the audience and slapped Natsume on the shoulder.

"I didn't know they were taking part!" Milan exclaimed. "Go Tsubasa-senpai! Go Tono-senpai!"

"Looks like we have an interesting mix of winners today! Now with only one minute left, I wonder who else will make it to the next round?"

Narumi raised his hand to his brow and scanned the surroundings. A flash of sandy blonde hair caught his eye. "Now this is unexpected! Coming in from the left of the stage is Kokoroyomi!"

Sumire snapped to attention as Koko dashed onto the stage, snatched the mic out of Narumi's hand and shouted, "I made it! In your faces!"

There was a stunned silence. Koko laughed nervously. "I mean, this is for you Sumire!" He blew her a loud kiss and Sumire reached out a hand to grab it from the air. "Love you too!" she cried back. Then she settled back into her seat, a smug smile on her face.

"We're down to the last twenty seconds! Will this round be closed with only four contestants?"

From out of the corner of her eye, Mikan watched Hotaru as her friend sat up straight, staring straight ahead. She bit her lip nervously. It wouldn't be pretty if Ruka didn't make it. Clasping her hands together, she prayed for Hotaru's sake Ruka would just drop out of the sky already.

On stage, Narumi began the countdown, gesturing for everyone to join in. "Ten...Nine..."

The plant began to shrink back into its hole.

"Eight...Seven...Six..."

The floating screens began to blank out.

"Five...four...three..."

_Ruka!_

As if god had heard her wish, an eagle soared out of the clouds and swooped towards the stage at neck breaking speed. The crowd held their breath.

Just before the eagle hit the stage, Ruka jumped off its back and skidded into the stage, clutching tightly to his chest a white ball. The eagle pulled out of the dive and spread its wings, and with a loud cry it took off again, disappearing into the horizon.

Narumi was ecstatic. "And finally, making a very dramatic entrance, we have Ruka Nogi, the last contestant to make it! Congratulations to all!"

The audience stamped their feet with approval and clapped loudly for the spectacular performance Ruka had just showed. Smiling shyly, Ruka backed up so he was standing beside Natsume, and Narumi waved his arms in the air to silence the crowd.

"Looks like we have five contestants left! But the real test begins now..." he smiled broadly. "May I ask all the girlfriends of the respective boys to please come up?"

"I think he means us!" Mikan squealed, squirming restlessly in her seat.

"No duh." Hotaru said, a pleased smile on her lips.

Sumire grinned. "Shall we, ladies?"

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Best Boyfriend(?)**

** Chapter 2**

_ By MySilentVoice_

...

Mikan had been dating Natsume for a good four months now. It took a lot of obvious hinting from their friends, several interferences from Narumi and a small misunderstanding between them, but finally, finally, on that fateful spring evening, Natsume Hyuuga found the nerve to ask her out.

It had been a happy occasion for many of their friends, and a cause for relief too. They were quite tired of playing matchmaker all these years. The pair's relationship had started out rocky however, for there were many who simply couldn't accept it.

For weeks on end Mikan received armfuls of hate mail (which Natsume burned to ashes), an 'official' letter of complaint from every one of Natsume's fan clubs, and a couple dozen love letters and roses from her admirers who thought it their duty to rescue Mikan from the undeserving Natsume Hyuuga.

Regardless, the happy couple managed to ward off all this and many more, and eventually the academy lost interest in them. However, it was obvious that the sparks of animosity had not quite died down completely for as soon as Mikan joined Natsume on stage, the crowd rose in a body and jeered in disapproval.

"Tough crowd," Mikan laughed, slipping her hand into Natsume's. She held their entwined fingers high in the air. "We love you too!"

"You have no tact whatsoever." A rare smile crossed Natsume's face. "You're going to start a riot."

Narumi was trying his best to reign in the crowd. "Now, now, I know you're all very excited." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "Or perhaps I can calm you down...with my alice?"

A hush fell over the audience almost immediately. No one uttered a peep.

"Wonderful! Let's carry on shall we?" With a quick flick of his wrist, a small table shimmered into view before the judges. "Can I have Natsume-kun come forward? Let's see what he brought Mikan-chan today."

Stepping forward, Natsume slipped a hand into his pocket and rummaged around for his gift. He produced a slightly crumpled slip of paper and placed it on the table. There was a pause as everyone took a moment to consider the object.

"Natsume-kun? I know the time limit was short, but a crumpled paper is hardly a good gift-" Narumi stopped short as Mikan rushed forward.

She picked up the paper and Natsume made no move to stop her. He watched her closely for a reaction. There was barely any change in her expression, except for a slight widening of her eyes.

Then, without any warning, she swiveled on her heel and threw her arms around Natsume. The crowd was almost too stunned to object. Almost.

A few indignant cries rang out from the audience and Narumi stepped in quickly. "Well, Mikan-chan, care to tell us what that was about?"

Carefully cupping the gift in her hands, Mikan turned to face the audience, her face flushed with excitement. "It's a picture of him."

Nobody was impressed. Narumi gestured for her to elaborate further.

"It probably doesn't seem like much to anyone," Mikan fidgeted uncomfortably under the audience's gaze. "But this is something that's really hard to get out of Natsume. His smile."

Narumi looked taken aback. "He's smiling? In that picture?" The crowd gasped in amazement. "I've got to take a look at this..." But before Narumi could reach for the photo, Natsume snatched it out of Mikan's fingers.

"Like she said, my smile is hard to come by," he slipped an arm around Mikan's waist. "So only one person is allowed to see this picture, and that's this idiot right here."

There were a few cries of objection, but those soon died out, quickly overpowered by the sound of applause.

"Well, it looks like everyone is happy with Natsume-kun's gift." Narumi said cheerfully. "Good job Natsume-kun, looks like you're not completely hopeless after all! Next up, Tsubasa Andou!"

Almost sheepishly, Tsubasa placed his gift on the table. It was an elegantly wrapped box. He stood in front of it, looking unsure, then he turned his head to look for his girlfriend.

Misaki was standing several feet away from her him, arms crossed over her chest. A scowl marred her pretty features.

"Well Tsubasa," Narumi began casually. "Impress us."

Tsubasa scratched his head. "I got a dress, from one of Misaki's favorite shops." He lifted the cover and carefully lifted the piece of clothing out. It was a very beautiful dress, and he held it up for everyone to admire.

Misaki's scowl deepened. "You already bought me that dress."

"Well, yeah...But you threw it back at me remember?" Laughing nervously, he returned the dress to its box. "You said you didn't want it cos' I got the wrong size."

It seemed like he had struck a nerve, for in a second Misaki had stomped over to where he stood and yelled into his face, "Did you really think my size is XL?"

Her words drew horrified gasps from the audience. Narumi whistled, shooting Tsubasa a pitying glance.

Tsubasa looked ready to bolt from the stage. "Well-"

"You think I'm fat, is that it?"

"No, I-"

"Well you can just jump in the fountain, dear." She said sarcastically. "And take that dress with you!"

"But," he started helplessly. "The lady at the shop said it's dry clean only."

More than one person in the audience slapped their foreheads in exasperation.

"Oh, medic please!" Narumi called anxiously as Misaki's kick sent Tsubasa flying. "Misaki-chan, calm down! Violence is never the answer!"

"It is today!" She was an unstoppable force, fists swinging and legs kicking, she brought Tsubasa to his knees in a whimpering lump of misery. With a flick of her wrist she tossed her hair over her shoulder and walked to where the other girlfriends stood, not a hair out of place. She looked at Narumi expectantly. "Moving on?"

"Er...right," Narumi fumbled for words. "Our next contestant, Akira Tonouchi!"

"Gimme a sec," Tono raised a finger. "I'm having a small problem here."

"Problem?"

Tono nodded. He gestured at three blonde girls beside him. "Triplets. One of them's my girlfriend. Only I can't figure out which one is she."

"Oh, Akira-kun," giggled triplet one. "You're so silly!"

"Very silly!" Cooed triplet two.

"Very, very silly!" Added the last triplet, rather unnecessarily. Then they all burst into a fit of giggles and Tono joined them, guffawing loudly as everyone else watched them, stupefied.

"He's a bigger bastard than I originally thought." Koko whispered none too softly in Sumire's ear.

"He can hear you!" She hissed back.

The audience had fallen silent at the rather brazen display of Tono's player side, and the triplets' indifference towards it. Narumi threw him a meaningful glance, silently prompting him to get on with it. Tono cleared his throat and considered the three girls, unsure.

"What's today's date?" He said finally, turning to Narumi.

"The sixteenth?"

"Alright...so sixteen divided by four...multiplied by three...minus nine..." Tono counted with his fingers, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Three!"

He pointed at the first triplet on the left. "One."

His finger moved to the next girl. "Two."

The last girl. "Three! Come on Emi, you're my girlfriend today."

Emi squealed with utter delight as her sisters gave exaggerated moans of disappointment. Tono slung and arm around his girlfriend and led her to the presentation table. "Ready."

"Glad to see you found your girlfriend," Narumi remarked dryly. "Your gift, if you please."

With exaggerated movements, Tono drew a tiny necklace from his breast pocket. He held it up high above his head, looking for all the world as if he held the answer to the universe's mysteries in his palm. Emi cooed with admiration. No one else was impressed.

"Care to explain? Tonouchi?" Narumi prompted.

"This necklace is a family heirloom," began Tono in a dreamy tone. "It was forged by my ancestors, several centuries ago, in a volcano where the dragons slept." He gave Emi a sideway glance, puffing out his chest as she clasped her hand to her chest with sparkling eyes, completely enraptured by his tale.

"One of my ancestors was a prince," continued Tono, blatantly ignoring the looks of disbelief he was receiving "And he had the power to call on the gods. When he stood at the volcano, chanting in the forgotten tongue of Tojin, the ground shook and lightning roared, and the human sacrifices were dipped-"

"Okay, let's stop right there," Narumi said, quickly stepping in. He cast an anxious look at the judges' table, where Yuu had turned a sickly shade if green and Youichi had sunk low into his seat. "This is PG rated only, Tonouchi."

"But one must hear the full history in order to appreciate-"

"History? That's the plot of a manga you borrowed from me." All eyes turned to Tsubasa, who was cradling his cheek in one hand, on the stage floor. "And you still haven't returned me-"

Tsubasa's face kissed the floor for the second time that day.

"Stay dead Tsubasa." Tono seethed, digging his heel into the boy's head.

"Now, now. Let's try to remain civilized." Narumi hurriedly interjected, hoping to save Tsubasa from further abuse. There would be too many incident reports to write if his carefully planned event landed Tsubasa in the hospital. "Emi-chan, would you share your thoughts about Tonouchi's gift?"

Emi stepped forward and Tono let her snatch the necklace from his fingers. She held it up to her neck. "Oh, I love it. But you didn't have to lie about its history Akira-kun."

"Er..."

"I mean, if your ancestor was a prince you'd be royalty too right?" She looked at him eagerly. "He was probably just a commoner, but that princely lie added a nice dramatic touch to the necklace's history."

The audience now looked upon her with disbelief too. Tono recovered quickly, his laugh ringing loud and clear.

"Of course Emi dear, the prince part was false. But it was all true otherwise...I only wanted to impress you."

"Oh Akira-kun, you sweet talker!"

Natsume pretended to gag as the happy(?) couple embraced each other, and onlookers clapped hesitantly, their cheers interspersed with several boos.

"Right, let's move on shall we?" Narumi hurriedly shooed the pair away. "Next we have Kokoroyomi!"

It was with an air of excessive confidence that Kokoroyomi took the stage. He bowed deeply to the audience. Then, he produced a small can, seemingly from nowhere.

"Now what do you have there?" Narumi asked. The crowd leaned forward in anticipation.

"This, is the latest formula of manga hairspray," Koko said proudly. "With a spray of this, your hair will take the form of all those cool hairstyles we see in manga."

"I once bought a can for Natsume," he continued excitedly. "Don't think he ever used it though. But I saw this new formula for girls and I thought it'd be perfect for Permy. It'd be so cool to have a girlfriend with hair like Hana Nakamura, or that bunny girl from Kami Sweet Sky. I mean, one's gotta admit, Sumire's seaweedy hair is a little over the top...don't you think?"

Now being the girlfriend of Kokoroyomi, Sumire had been trained in the art of idiot tolerance. She learned to ignore his annoying habits, and some she even adored. Alas, Permy, was, by nature an irritable, easy to piss off kind of gal, and even falling in love with the lord of all morons could not flush these traits out of her system.

Thus, it was no surprise when Koko retired to the stage floor next to Tsubasa, who very kindly shared his ice pack with him.

"I knew I should have got her that pack of peanuts instead." Koko said thoughtfully, gently pressing Tsubasa's ice pack to his cheek.

"Right..." Narumi was beginning to wonder if this competition had been such a good idea after all. "Um, Ruka-kun? You're up. Please don't give me any extra paperwork."

"Can't promise that sensei," Ruka said. "Have you forgotten who my girlfriend is?"

Behind him, Hotaru whistled a merry tune as she polished her Baka Gun carefully. There was a twinkle of a warning in her eyes as Ruka met her gaze. He swallowed thickly.

"Here goes nothing." Ruka whispered to himself. Instead of heading for the presentation table, Ruka sidled up next to Hotaru, shifting his arms slowly to reveal...

"A rabbit," Narumi exclaimed, the surprise made him take a step back. "Isn't that the rabbit you always carry around?"

"Yeah, Usagi has been my companion all these years," he stroked the animal in between its long ears. "He...probably doesn't have much time left to live. I've been so worried too, I haven't been able to let him out of my sight."

He cautiously lifted his gaze to judge Hotaru's expression. Unreadable as always. "He's very important to me, but today I want to give him to Hotaru. I'm entrusting her with the life of the thing most dear to me, and by doing this, I'm giving her my utmost trust as well."

He looked into her eyes, and in that moment he left his soul bare for her to see. His feelings were all right out at her feet. For her to trample on, or...

"Humph, so this rabbit is more important to you than I am?" Hotaru raised an eyebrow almost condescendingly.

"What? No, I-"

"You said, and I quote, 'I'm entrusting her with the life of the thing most dear to me.' right?"

"No, that's not right, I mean...he's…and…and you-" the hastily cobbled defense died in his throat as Hotaru extricated Usagi from his arms. She held him now, nestled comfortably in the crook of her arm.

"You'll accept him?" Ruka asked, almost in disbelief.

She shrugged. "I don't hate rabbits."

Those four words, however callous they sounded, were like music to his ears. Not because he found a new home for his beloved pet, but because she accepted the greatest thing he could give her. Not the rabbit, but the trust that she would care for his dearest friend all the way to the end. It really was as Natsume said, he would never hand Usagi over to anyone else. Such a gift, was only something she could receive from him.

It was the sweetest gift of the day. It was no surprise when Ruka drew her into his arms, the rabbit tucked snugly between them, and sighs of awe and admiration arose from the audience.

"Let us give Ruka Nogi a big round of applause," Narumi smiled, his voice soft with understanding. "For his very meaningful gift."

Surprisingly, it was Natsume Hyuuga who clapped the loudest that day.

...

It was late afternoon by the time round one had ended. Narumi very cheerily informed the remaining contestants that the next round was to be held the day after and promptly disappeared from the stage. Thereafter, the boys decided to dismiss themselves.

Koko and Tsubasa had to help each other to the nurse's office, seeing as how their girlfriends had taken off together for some 'recuperative' shopping. With the triplets in his arms, Tonouchi loudly proclaimed that they were to have a celebration. In his room.

Finally, the last two intact, not to mention sane couples headed for the dining hall, all of them satisfied, to some extent.

"That was so fun," Mikan told Natsume happily. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

"I can." He grumbled back. "I feel like I'm part of a freakshow."

"Now, now. Don't get all grumpy. You did well today. I'm really happy." A wide smile graced her lips and looking at her, Natsume felt compelled to smile back.

Ruka was explaining to Hotaru the finer points of Usagi's dieting habits.

"His digestive system is a little weaker now, so he must take his meals regularly, and the amount must be-"

"Quiet, bunny boy." Hotaru said, not really paying attention to him. She stroked the rabbit in her arms. "He's sleeping."

Beaming brighter than he ever did before, Ruka said nothing more and slid an arm around her shoulders, which she didn't object to but would later argue that since her arms were occupied, she had no choice go with the flow.

It was a happy scene, one quite unexpected, yet so right. These two happy couples, ambling along, laughing, talking, as if they were on top of the world.

…


End file.
